Bad Timing ON HIATUS
by ckorkows
Summary: ON HIATUS! When a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both women end up in a dangerous predicament? Rated T for violence. S/G.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a new fan-fiction, I'm still working on The Rangers Book One, but I was eager for a new outlet for some of my plots, so here goes. It is rated M for later chapters which will probably contain explicit language, violence, and sex. Please enjoy and, as always, remember to review. Let me know what you like, dislike, and couldn't understand. Your reviews are the fuel to my sixteen wheeler imagination! (S/G, W/A)**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 1: Threats**

Nico Trenton watched the massacre through the lens of his camera, carefully capturing the brutal death of each of the five women. All blondes, they were attacked one-by-one by the man wielding a long, curved blade. As the man began slicing into the first woman, her screams of pain were overwhelmed by the horrified cries of the other pigs lined up for slaughter. The panic was contagious, and, as Nico smiled coldly, the chains binding the women to the wall were slowly, methodically, and mercilessly coated with hot blood. The last woman's cries died down as her life-blood drained out of her. Nico swiveled around in his chair, careful to make the transition smooth as he focused in on a new target.

The man with the blade moved over to another wall, a wall where a set of chains hung, empty, and a picture of Alex Cahill's face was glued to the wall. He looked into the camera, his dark skin hidden by the black mask he wore, one gloved hand stroked the picture as though it were real human flesh, in a mechanical voice his ominous warning was the last thing captured on camera before the film went black.

"I'll be sure to enjoy her first."

Nico smiled cruelly as he mentally yelled, "Cut!" He flipped the camera off and left it where it was, rising to his full six-foot, four inches as he walked away from the metallic scent of blood. Reaching the door of the warehouse he sliced his green-brown eyes back to the man in black, "Don't forget to take down her photo…we don't want him knowing who the real target is until the timing is perfect."

The man nodded, carefully removing the blonde beauty's picture from the wall. He smiled crookedly at her flawless face, a crazed look coming into his eyes as he kissed the picture. Checking to make sure Nico had left the building, the man carefully folded Alex' photo into quarters before tucking it into his shirt, muttering to himself as he removed every trace of their visit to the warehouse. He rigged the lights so that when the Rangers opened the door, the carnal remains of the five Alex-look-a-likes would be spotlighted. Nico Trenton, the man mused, had a flair for the dramatic.

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Trivette was sitting at Walker's desk, his chair pulled up in front of it as he dealt out another hand, "What do you think Walker?"

Walker shrugged, looking at his cards as carelessly as if he were staring at a fish tank, "I dunno Trivette, the kid was talking about Ninjas. It could just be a prank call."

Trivette nodded, "Should we ignore it?"

Walker laid down one card, waiting for Trivette to deal him another one, "No. Send Gage and Sydney out. That warehouse is the perfect place to stash drugs, so we might as well check it out."

Trivette nodded, laying out his hand with great aplomb, "Ace-high straight!"

Walker shook his head, standing up and reaching for his hat as he dropped his cards onto the desk, "Straight-flush. I'm going to meet Alex at CD's; I'll be back around one."

Trivette's smile faded, playing cards with Walker was like voluntarily jumping into a swimming pool full of sharks, "I think I'll bring the kid in for questioning, just in case Sydney and Gage find anything out there."

Walker nodded and led the way out of Ranger Headquarters. Normally he would have just sent DPD out there to check on the kid's story, but something in his gut told him to send his Rangers. _Somehow_, he thought, _today is not going to be as easy as it seems._

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Gage cranked up the tunes, caterwauling along with George Strait as he glanced over at his annoyed partner, "You look so good in love….You want him, that's easy to see….you look so good in love…" He paused for a moment, contemplating the next line of the song before barreling through it with his off-key tenor, "And I wish you still wanted me…"

Sydney huffed and leaned forward in her seat to flip off the radio, it'd been two weeks since she'd mentioned going out on that date, and Gage hadn't let up on her yet. She rolled her eyes as her partner pouted; if he kept this up she was going to have to take him out on the mats to release some anger.

The now-silent car rumbled along the dirt road toward the abandoned warehouse, Sydney kept her eyes on the side of the road, silently admitting that she normally wouldn't be so upset with her partner; it was just that she was mad at herself for even having dated the guy. What a waste, she sighed heavily unaware that the mournful sound escaped her lips; the man had been interested in only one thing, and had made that perfectly clear to her.

Gage knew that his partner was deep in thought, but he couldn't help but want to know what was wrong, he kept his eyes on the road, but gently laid his hand on her knee, "Hey, do you want to talk about it?"

Sydney shook her head, "There's nothing to talk about. It was a couple of dates and it fizzed out. A waste of time."

Gage cocked his head toward his partner, "His loss."

Sydney smiled, admiring at the familiar lines of her partner's face, "Yeah. Right. Hey, pull over!"

Gage yanked the wheel hard to the right, effectively plowing the car into the shallow ditch on the side of the road. He scanned the horizon for whatever had made his partner so agitated, but she was already unbuckled and out of the car. Quickly, Gage followed her, looking back to see that his car looked as though someone had been run off the road and left it behind. Decent cover.

Sydney stayed low in the ditch, running along the length of it until she could better see the warehouse. She waited for Gage to join her before pointing across the bare stretch of desert at the tan sedan parked in front of the supposedly abandoned building. Silently they both reached for their guns, and Sydney led the way across the open stretch, carefully zigzagging to find cover behind the sparse bushes and tumbleweeds. Gage tailed her, watching her back and keeping his eyes on the door to the warehouse.

When she reached the side of the building, Sydney paused, waiting for her partner to join her. She heard the sound of a man's voice and then the tell-tale rumble of an engine. She raised her eyebrows and nodded, sliding along the side of the building until she could peak around the corner and see what was going on. She saw that there wasn't just one car, but two. A sedan and a van, parked further down from the front door. Each car had a driver in it, and the doors were flung open. Classic drug-deal style.

She motioned for Gage to cover her just as she heard the screaming!

"What the…." Sydney yelled as she jumped out from her safe position, running to the door of the building. The screams were now more recognizable – terrified shouts – and they were coming closer. Just as she reached for the handle, the door burst open and six men bowled her over, running wildly from the building as though they had just seen a ghost.

Gage rounded the corner in time to see his partner get overwhelmed by a group of men, he ran forward, gun aimed, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Texas Rangers, Freeze!"

The men ignored him completely, racing toward the vehicles in utter chaos. One of them turned and met Gage's eyes, his own frantic and terrified, before diving into the vehicle and shouting, "Hit it!"

Gage fired off some rounds at the vehicles as they screeched away, unable to stop their run. Tucking his gun back into its holster, he ran to his partner just as she was struggling to stand up.

Sydney took the hand offered her and let her partner yank her to her feet, "What do you think that was all about?"

Gage shook his head, quickly assessing his partner and finding her to be okay before he answered, "I don't know. It looked like a drug deal, but why would they just burst out of the building like that?"

Sydney flicked her mahogany eyes to the half-open door, "They were terrified. I wonder what's in there."

Gage grabbed his partner's arm, pulling her back away from the door, "Wait. Let's call Walker."

Sydney nodded, her nose catching a familiar scent that she couldn't quite place. It was like metal, only different. Her stomach churned as she inhaled deeply, realizing exactly what that scent was. As Gage phoned Walker, Sydney let her nose guide her, the scent pulling her into the building. Looking back at her partner one last time, Sydney slipped through the open door and into the abandoned warehouse; her stomach tight as she prepared herself for what she knew would be inside.

Gage spoke into the phone, carefully explaining what had developed, "They ran out of there like they were being chased by a ghost Walker, I've never seen anyone look so scared."

Walker, who was sitting at CD's with Alex, turned away from his fiancé, "Okay Gage, we'll get a BOLO out on those two vehicles. You and Sydney wait for Trivette and me to get there. I agree that whatever can frighten drug-dealers, can't be good."

Gage nodded, even though his boss couldn't see him, "Okay, we'll set up perimeter and watch to see if anyone else shows…"

A scream, high-pitched and horrified, cut through the line. Walker was on his feet and had his gun in his hand before he realized that the cry came from the other line, "Gage? Gage?"

Walker received no answer and looked over his shoulder at a very startled Alex Cahill, silently apologizing as he grabbed his black Stetson and raced out the door.

Gage dropped the phone when he heard the scream. He knew that cry, even though Sydney Cooke didn't scream, he would've been able to place that sound any day. With adrenaline and fear pumping through his veins, he burst into the warehouse, running straight into his partner as she stood, rooted to the spot. Her scream had left her lips, but her face was frozen in terror, and Gage followed her eyes to the scene in front of him.

It was a massacre. Gage momentarily froze, his hands gripping his partner's shoulders as he swept his gaze across the bloody scene. Gage felt his stomach toss and held back the urge to vomit as his partner's shoulders became jelly in his hands. Coming to his senses quickly, he caught the tiny woman before she collapsed, dragging her by her armpits out of the warehouse as the stench of blood curled through his olfactory glands. Once they were free of the building, Sydney seemed to regain her composure, dropping to her knees to pick up the cell-phone Gage had dropped and re-dialing Walker's number.

Walker picked up before the first ring was complete, "Walker."

Sydney's voice was strong and clear even as she felt her body turn to jello once again, "We've got five DOAs at the scene."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Well, here's my second chapter...I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please review because it is difficult to keep writing if no positive and negative feedback is given.**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 2: Scenes From a Murder**

The kid sat in the room alone, his eyes flicking back and forth between the door and the two-way mirror. He chewed on his bottom lip, a nervous habit he had picked up from his mom, where they ever going to talk to him?

The four Rangers stood on the other side of the mirror, watching the kid as they talked. Sydney stood closest to the door, leaning against it as she raised her eyebrow, "He doesn't know anything."

Gage nodded, agreeing with his partner. She was calmer now, he thought, seemingly un-phased. But Gage had felt her body tremble beneath his hands when he had first seen the bloodied bodies. Gulping, Gage turned his blue eyes back to the glass wall, he knew that that was an image he wouldn't be able to forget for a long time.

Trivette shook his head, "I dunno. He called in about a Ninja, he said some guy with a sword was wandering around the warehouse."

Walker's cool blue eyes never left the boy, his Rangers waited while he processed everything he knew about the murder, finally he flicked his gaze toward his most junior Ranger, "Sydney. Check his story. See if he saw a car or anything else unusual. He definitely didn't kill those women, so there's no need to tell him about it. Just ask him to re-tell his story. I'm going to check with Dan and see if we got any hits on those Bolos. Trivette, go talk to Alex about getting a security detail around the building, in case those freaks come back."

Sydney and Trivette nodded, leaving the room quickly. Gage looked at Walker questioningly, "Walker, what about me?"

Walker waited until Sydney had entered the interrogation room, staring intently at the woman, "When Sydney's finished I want you two to take the kid home. Then go home yourselves. Maybe watch a funny movie. I need your minds clear tomorrow."

Gage nodded, embarrassed at being told to go home, but glad that Walker understood. Watching the older Ranger as he headed out the door, Gage asked a question that had been nagging him all day, "Hey Walker?" The other man turned, Stetson halfway to his long red-blonde hair, "How do you do it?"

Walker smiled sadly, answering the question honestly as he left the room, "You don't Gage. You bury it deep inside and hope to God that the nightmares go away. You hope and pray and try to forget. But you don't."

Gage nodded, turning to watch his partner talk to the kid about his 'ninja'.

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Sydney did her job. The kid was so excited that somebody believed him that he told her everything about his Ninja, including the sword. Sydney grimaced inwardly as the boy described the weapon in vivid detail. Her brown eyes stared straight through him as she pictured the gruesome chunks of flesh and bone that had been carved out of each of the five women. She froze in her chair as the young man continued talking about how the Ninja had played with the sword, all she could see was the curved blade carefully slicing the thighs of one of the girls, like a piece of roast, leaving them hanging open to hear her scream before he slit her throat.

She blocked it out, mentally dropping the curtain on the scenes playing through her mind. Smiling at the boy she asked him once more if he had seen anyone else around the area, or if the Ninja had a car. Anything else he could tell her about this sighting.

The young man shrugged apologetically, "It looked like he was bored, waiting for someone…or something almost. He was just hanging out when I saw him."

Sydney stood, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder as she led him out of the interrogation room, "Thank you James, here's my card. If you remember anything else about this man, please call me."

Gage intercepted them at the door and led the way to the car, taking over the conversation in his usual carefree way. He kept the kid entertained the entire drive to his house, cheerfully chatting up the worried mother before returning to his sedan and a blank-faced Sydney. When he did return to his car he looked over at his partner, reaching out to cup her jaw in his hand and turn her to face him.

Gage's voice was soft, "Syd. We're going home now, my home. And we're going to eat Chinese food and watch re-runs of 'Fame'. K?"

Sydney's almond-shaped eyes were half-closed, and she had to work to focus in on her partner's face, "K."

Gage sighed, he was worried. Sydney never let things get to her. Yeah, what they had seen was horrifying, but this was Sydney, sturdy, dependable, rolls-right-off-ya Sydney. Letting go of her face he reached over her to buckle her into the seat, something he hadn't noticed she'd forgotten to do until they got to the kid's house, and nuzzled her hair a little. The last part was just for him, to remind him that she was still his Sydney, that she was still alive. Turning away from her he began the quiet drive to his house, determined to get his partner out of her funk, even if it meant he'd get laid out on the mats for nuzzling her like he just did.

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Sydney spent the night at Gage's apartment, by the time they had finished the first season of the quirky television series, she had fallen asleep on the couch. Gage carefully covered her with a soft, light blue blanket, whispering goodnight to her before he retired to his own bed.

By morning Sydney was feeling much more like her usual self, at least, she was acting like herself. Gage woke up to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee the way only Sydney Cooke could make it. With a hint of cinnamon or nutmeg…something, he wasn't sure. He smiled groggily at her as he reached for his cup like a dependent child. Sydney shot off a clever comment about his loving her coffee so much he should marry her for it.

Gage smirked a little, thinking about the direction his dreams had taken last night, and answered, "Fine. Will you marry me?"

Sydney's eyes were as dark as the coffee as they glared at him from above the white rim of her cup, "Well, that wasn't very romantic. So, no."

Gage sighed, smiling from his side of the breakfast bar, "You want romance sweetheart?"

Sydney set her coffee down, her eyes flashing dangerously as she watched him stalk her around the bar. She held her own, remaining in her seat with her hands wrapped around the mug, she felt him come up behind her, his hands settling on the counter effectively trapping her.

A shiver ran down her spine as his breath tickled her long, wavy morning hair, "Gage?"

Gage's restraint was evident in the tension of his muscles. He managed to keep his body away from his partners, by a hair, even as he inhaled the sweet scent of her. He let his cheek brush past the soft curls, closing his blue eyes as he memorized the soft texture. The air in the room became electric as he battled his inner demons, wanting to push the moment but knowing that he needed to bring it back down to their usual comfort level. Partners, he reminded himself, they were partners...

Dropping his hands he stood up abruptly and ruffled his partner's already rumpled hair, "If you want romance you're gonna have to gussy up a little more. The whole 'just awake' hair thing doesn't lend itself to candles and moonlight."

Sydney felt the tension leave her body and she smiled, even while a part of her, that tiny part in the pit of her stomach, cried out for him to come back, she chuckled as she raised her cup to her lips, her tone denying the inner battle her emotions were waging, "Well…I guess my coffee isn't worth being tied down."

Gage reached over her, snagging his own cup before retreating to the bathroom to get ready for work. If his partner looked at him now she'd know how much that moment had affected him, "It's not the ties I'm worried about…it's your handcuffs!"

Sydney and Gage made it to Ranger Headquarters ten minutes before nine. Sydney checked her watch as Gage pulled into his favorite parking spot and shot her partner a bemused glance, "You want to wait out here for another fifteen minutes? You've never been early to work before."

Gage fake laughed, "I've never had a woman nagging me about getting to the office before."

Sydney turned away from him and headed toward the elevator mumbling, "I do not nag."

From behind her she heard the tell-tale argument, "Yeah...you do."

By the time they got to the office both Rangers knew that something was wrong. Walker and Trivette were holed up in the main office with the boss, Alex was pacing the ranger headquarters instead of her own office, and the other Rangers were unusually quiet. Snippets of conversation could be heard here and there, and Sydney felt her stomach sinking as she heard mention of a video tape. When tapes were sent to the Rangers they were not about birthdays and baby's first steps...

Gage locked eyes with his partner and they both moved over to the main office, knocking on the door respectfully before heading inside. Sergeant Bruscoe was sitting at his desk, remote control in hand, his dull eyes watching the black screen as they waited for the video to start. Walker was leaning against Bruscoe's desk, his eyes never leaving the blank screen as an ominous feeling settled around the room. Trivette motioned the two junior Rangers in, not needing to tell them to be silent as a mechanical voice rang out from the dark screen.

"Rangers, by now you may have discovered my surprise. Think of it as a warning. I hope you enjoy this little film I've made; I worked very hard to capture the essence of the actresses' emotions. Please, don't turn in off until the end…you won't want to miss the best part!"

The silence rang out across the room for a millisecond before the video capture flicked onto the screen. Five blonde women were chained to a cement wall, struggling and crying softly as a dark figure made his way into the picture.

Sydney's eyes were glued to the man, and her voice cut through Walker's trance, "The Ninja…"

Walker realized what was about to take place on screen a moment before the man began slicing into the first woman. Her wretched screams rang through the room, as the four other people in the Bruscoe's office watched in horrified awe as the man carefully carved chunks out of her flesh. Walker's hand reached the power button only moments after the first piece of bloody flesh hit the cement floor with a heavy 'smack' that could be heard even above the women's screams. The screen flashed off and Walker grabbed his Rangers by their necks, tossing them toward the door bodily as he fought to control the sickness that was threatening to tear itself from his gut.

Trivette reached the door first and felt for the handle blindly, knowing only that he had to escape the room, or he would never remain sane. After years of working with Walker, he had never seen something so blatant and grotesque, never. He stumbled, stunned, into the main room, followed quickly by Gage, who was looking around for his partner, needing the reassurance that her presence brought. He couldn't find her as he wobbled into one of the other Rangers. The other Rangers and Alex scrambled around the numb Rangers, pulling them into chairs and asking them what happened, no one noticed when the door closed again.

Sydney refused to go. Her eyes met Walker's as he reached for her and they were just as steely as his, "I need to see it."

Walker acknowledged the conviction in her voice and turned to Bruscoe, the fat man was leaning under his desk, retching into a paper basket. Walker allowed him to finish before pulling him up and out of his chair, "Leave."

Even though he was the superior, Bruscoe simply obeyed Walker, dragging his weight out of the room on jelly legs as Walker grabbed the remote from his desk. The door slammed shut once more and Walker's blue eyes met Sydney's brown ones. Was she certain? In a way he was glad she was staying, it would mean that he wouldn't be the only one to travel to the other side, to see the horrors that man had inflicted, to understand them, and have to return to sanity. Sydney was certain. She inclined her head ever so slightly, she was ready, and Walker turned the TV back on, the room filling up with the screams as one by one the victims were sodomized before two pairs of unwavering eyes.

When the camera swiveled around Walker felt his blood freeze and Sydney's resolve almost faltered as the Ninja caressed a very clear picture of Alex Cahill. His threat was clear, his eyes, the only visible part of his face, black as sin as he stared into Walker's soul.

"_I'll be sure to enjoy her first."_

The film went black again, and silence filled the small office. Sydney locked eyes with Walker once more, suddenly realizing how much the first five women had looked like her friend - blonde hair, blue eyes, and strong, almost aristocratic, features. A shiver worked its way down Sydney's spine, though it wasn't one of fear like when she had seen the bodies, now it was one of hatred. No one threatened her friends. And he had threatened to do much worse to her than he had to the other women. Sydney's gut was steel, her resolve firm as she scrutinized the controlled fury on her Superior's face. In this they stood together, in this they shared a greater connection than either of them shared with their own partner. They could move past the darkness, the fury, and do their job. This time, their job was to protect Alex Cahill.

Walker looked over at his Junior Ranger, making important decisions in seconds, "Sydney, I need you to do me a favor."

Sydney locked eyes with her boss, muttering a phrase that was much too formal for the relationship they had, "Yes sir."

Walker flicked off the video, "Do not tell anyone that Alex is a target. And watch her. Thoroughly."

Sydney nodded, her hand on the door, "What do I tell her?"

Walker let a small smile play around his lips, though the effect was more grim than humorous, "She resembles the victims and I'm paranoid."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Well all, I hope you like my villain…very evil don't you think? I'm rather proud of his artistic talents, I must say that the video was a flash of genius on his part…forcing the rangers to watch a real-life horror movie before revealing the real target. I can't wait to see how you like the next couple of chapters!**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 3: May I escort you ladies to your car?**

Alex Cahill was tired. Brushing some stray curls out of her face she looked up at the clock, 5:57, and decided that she had definitely fulfilled her daily duty as assistant DA. She shuffled some papers into the correct piles on her neat and organized desk and stood, stretching her hands above her head to ease some of the tension that had worked its way into her muscles.

A knock sounded at the door and Sydney Cooke strolled in, smiling, "Hey Alex. Walker wanted me to take you over to CDs…for dinner."

Alex sighed. It wasn't as though she didn't like the female Ranger, because she did. Sydney had at first been slightly aloof and very formal, but over time she had opened up to Alex, seeming to blossom into a more confident Ranger, and woman. Alex thought of Sydney as her closest female friend. But recently, Sydney had been trailing her. Every time Alex even _thought_ of getting up and going to the bathroom, Sydney was outside the door wanting to talk about a case while they walked towards the women's room. Every meal that Alex didn't have with Walker, Sydney was there, either offering to take her or randomly showing up. Alex couldn't even go to court, which was two buildings away, without Sydney deciding that the case was interesting enough for her to watch. It was like…

Alex's mind snapped to the conclusion and she spoke out loud, her blue eyes narrowed accusingly, "You're trailing me."

Sydney shrugged, she and Walker both knew that Alex would catch on pretty quickly. It'd only been four days and Sydney felt like she'd done nothing but babysit her friend, "Yup."

Alex almost laughed at the simplistic answer. But she knew that when Walker sent someone to watch over her, it was never a good sign, she sank back down into her seat, "Why?"

"The women in the video tape resembled you. Walker's paranoid, so he sent me to watch you," Sydney flinched inwardly at how false her reason sounded, and how Alex's face crumbled when she heard the answer.

Alex bit her lip to keep from crying out in dejected annoyance, _Why me?_, she thought. Meeting Sydney's dark brown eyes across her desk, Alex understood that there was a threat attached, a threat directed at her, and only her. And that Walker did not want her to know. Inside she felt terrified, she always did when this sort of thing happened, but on the outside she carefully re-arranged her mask, putting on the brave face…

"Don't," Sydney muttered, reaching across the solid oak desk to grasp her friend's hand, squeezing it, "Don't put that mask on just yet. Walker didn't want you to know, Alex. He hasn't told anyone else but me. He doesn't want pandemonium to break out, or worse, the Feds cutting in on the investigation. It's okay to be scared. Especially now. Especially since we don't know who is doing this…who is threatening you. So don't act brave for me Alex Cahill…because that isn't your job right now. Your job is to stay safe, and I'll be the brave one around here."

Alex smiled, no one, other than Walker, had ever read her so well. She nodded and let her face crumble in a moment of self-pity, muttering her questions out loud, questions she had always wanted to ask, "Why me? It's always me, Sydney. Whether it's by chance or because we put someone away, it's always me. I've been kidnapped, shot at, threatened, and beaten too many times. Will it ever end?"

Sydney dragged her friend to her feet, moving around the desk so that she was looking up into the older woman's eyes, "No," she answered honestly, gripping Alex's thin shoulders, "It will never end Alex. Because you have chosen the most difficult path in life – to toe the line of the law, to protect justice and promote peace – it will never end. But it isn't a curse Alex, because the day the threats stop coming and the bullets stop flying, that's the day that you've lost the battle you've been fighting for your whole life. Do you really want that?"

Alex smiled, sincerely, at Sydney's earnest tone. To think that such wise words would come from Sydney Cooke, of all people… she shook her head and lifted it high, dropping Sydney's hand as she strolled toward the door, "You're right. Now let's go, I'm famished!"

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Nico Trenton was walking outside the building when Sydney and Alex came out, giggling. Cursing beneath his breath at the other woman he strolled toward the two women, calculating his path so that he ran into the tiny lady Ranger.

Sydney stumbled backward and Nico caught her well-muscled arm in one hand, steadying her and giving her a devilishly handsome smile, "Oops…pardon me, ladies."

Sydney glanced at Alex, making sure that she was okay, and smiled up at the handsome man, "That's fine. No harm done."

_Yet_, thought Nico as he took the beautiful woman's hand and planted a kiss on it, "Yes, but it was rude nonetheless. I don't suppose I could convince to lovely women such as yourselves to join me for dinner, to apologize properly?"

Sydney shook her head, utterly perplexed at the man's formal…and romantic…manner, she was about to make an excuse when Alex cut in, "Oh…we'd love to…"

Nico smiled – hook, line, and sinker, "Nico. My name is Nico."

Alex smiled back, noticing that while Nico's eyes, amber with green flecks, remained riveted on Ranger Cooke's face, they flickered to Alex's eyes as he spoke. She finished her sentence, "We'd love to Nico, but we're on our way to meet my fiancé and some friends for dinner."

Nico pouted, just a little, allowing his eyes to show sadness, then acceptance, "Well, the least I can do is escort you to your vehicle. May I?"

Alex nodded, noticing that Sydney seemed incapable of doing anything but staring at the man with a look of utter disbelief on her face. Nico dropped the Ranger's hand onto his arm and proffered his other arm to Alex, who took it, noticing that her hand barely fit around his forearm. God, she thought, this man is huge!

Nico kept up some pleasant conversation as he followed the delicate pull of Sydney's hand, letting her lead him to where her car was parked in a nearby garage. He seemed to ignore Alex completely, focusing all of his attention on the petite brunette, smiling down at her as he encouraged her to talk about herself, her career. They approached her vehicle and Nico glanced at the license plate number, memorizing it, before releasing Alex's hand.

He turned toward Sydney, smiling like the charming devil he was, "I do hope to bump into you anther time Ms. Cooke. Ms. Cahill," he turned and smiled at the blonde, "I'm sure we'll see one another again."

He turned and left, carefully using the mirrors and windows of the few other cars in the parking garage to watch as Sydney got into the driver's seat. _Damn_, he thought, disappearing down a nearby alley to where his own car was parked, _wrong car._

Alex got into the car and giggled, "Well, if that wasn't the oddest thing."

Sydney sighed, flexing her fingers around the steering wheel as she glanced out her rear-view mirror, momentarily admiring the retreating figure, "What do you mean?"

Alex laughed, "Well, Ms. Cooke, how often does a gentleman bump into you and then offer to take you to dinner?"

Sydney couldn't help but laugh a little too, "Yeah. That never happens!"

Sydney pulled out of the garage and drove toward CDs, listening half-heartedly to Alex's happy chatter as she pondered what had just occurred. That never happens, she thought again, her joy at the chance meeting with the handsome Nico fading under a cloud of questions. Always suspicious, Sydney scolded herself, never willing to trust. She shook the doubt from her mind and laughed with Alex at the expected reactions of their friends upon hearing the story.

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Gage was on his second beer by the time Alex and Sydney came strolling into the bar, merrily chatting about something or another. He glanced over at CD and caught the beer that came sliding down the polished bar, contemplating the effects of double fisting the amber liquid.

Sydney sidled up beside her partner and snagged the new beer, "For me?" she asked innocently.

Gage grumbled but smiled, he'd missed his partner this last week, "Yeah. Go ahead."

Sydney shook her head, "You weren't seriously going to down both of them? Walker's here."

Gage shrugged, how could she just stroll in here and act as though she hadn't ditched him for an entire week, he gulped the cool liquid and stalked over to the table, muttering, "Yeah."

Sydney stood at the bar, perplexed, as Gage walked away. What was his problem? She twisted her head to find the merry bar tender leaning on the bar behind her, staring after Gage too, "What do you think, CD?"

CD chuckled, Sydney did not want to know what he thought, "That boy's mad at you 'bout something. Been in here every night this week looking for a good buzz."

Sydney sighed, leaning her elbows on the bar as she looked away from her partner, "Walker put me on fiancé-sitting duty. Gage has been flying solo this week."

CD rolled his eyes, laying a kind hand on Sydney's arm as her eyes grew distant, "It's been a tough week for all of ya'll darlin'. Did you ever think that maybe the boy just needs someone to talk to?"

Sydney shrugged, "Not Gage, nothing fazes him," she looked down at her untouched beer and pushed it toward the old-timer, "Tell you what CD, I'm not really in the mood for this tonight. You got any OJ?"

CD switched out the drinks and watched the lady walk away, to join her friends. _Those two_, he grumbled to himself, _don't know which way is up anymore they're so confused._ CD smiled as his meddling brain started plotting, _maybe alls they need is a push in the right direction._

CD strolled down to the other side of the bar, "Well, CD, you're just the man to give 'em that push."

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Alex was finishing her story as Sydney joined the table, smiling gleefully as she told her version of meeting Nico, "And that man could not take his eyes off of Sydney. He just chatted away and kept looking down at her as though she were the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. And she kept looking up at him too…you should have seen the look on her face when he said he couldn't wait to bump into her again…"

Sydney grimaced, half-smiling beneath her mock façade, "Yeah. It was one of fear, that man's so big he nearly knocked me to kingdom come!"

Walker and Trivette laughed, Trivette machine-gunning his laughter while Walker chuckled and wrapped his arm around the back of Alex's chair. Gage snarled and sipped his beer, glancing sideways at Sydney as she took her place beside him. CD brought the food over and the table fell silent, each person diving into their sandwich like they hadn't eaten in days. Sydney picked at her meal, she could feel the anger rolling off of Gage and had no idea what had caused it.

When the others were thoroughly involved in food and conversation, Sydney gently laid a hand on Gage's forearm, "You okay partner?"

Gage shot his partner a look that could kill and finished devouring his sandwich, grumbling as he drained the last of his second beer. He looked back at her and found her staring up into his face, not with concern anymore, but with fierce determination.

"Fine," he muttered.

Sydney narrowed her eyes, wrapping her smaller hand around Gage's wrist and dragging him up out of the chair and out of the bar, saying loudly enough for their startled companions to hear, "Gage, come help me with something real quick…I think my oil is dripping again."

The moment the door swung closed behind them, Sydney whirled on her partner, "Look! I don't like being separated from you either. You think my job is fun? Sitting around the office and watching one of my best friends like a hawk. It's awful! So if you think I'm just going to let you sit there and seethe at me for something I have no control over…you're so wrong, buster!"

Gage felt the cold brick wall behind his back and stared, open-mouthed, at his tiny partner as she prodded him in the chest with her finger. His own anger kicked back into gear when she called him buster, and without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed her shoulders and kicked off the wall, rolling with his partner until her back was against the bricks.

His blue eyes were flecked with steel as he growled, "Oh yeah?"

Sydney's eyes met his, anger to anger, "Yeah!."

Gage cursed himself inwardly; he didn't have anything to say to her. Once again she had hit the nail on the head and he had no response. Instead of letting her go he pushed her harder up against the wall, lifting her to her tip-toes as he lowered his head.

Sydney's eyes widened in shock a moment before Gage ground his lips into hers. This wasn't an 'I like you kiss', this wasn't even a nice kiss, this was a kiss to punish. Even so, as her partner thrust his tongue against her lips, demanding entry, Sydney couldn't help but part them and respond to him. Their eyes were open, staring one another down as Gage assaulted her mouth. Sydney felt his fingers digging into her shoulders and dragged her nails down his chest.

As quickly as the kiss started, it was over. Gage released his partner and turned away as she sagged against the wall. Neither one moved for a minute, Gage was so wrapped up in his anger and guilt that he didn't dare turn around to face his partner. Sydney simply leaned against the wall, her fingertips lifted to her lips in confusion…and, as Gage started to walk away, a little hurt. She stayed where she was, watching her partner drag a hand through his blonde hair…neither one of them knew what to say.

Gage could kick himself. First he acts all jealous and angry, and then he goes and kisses her. He ran his fingers through his hair, what on earth was he thinking? This was his partner, for goodness sake, his friend, and he'd just sexually assaulted her. And, Gage thought with chagrin, he'd liked it.

He didn't look back at her as he spoke, "Syd…I'm sorry. Can we just forget about it?"

Sydney's mind was reeling, she could still feel Gage's lips across her own, and she knew that she had bruises on her arms from where he had grabbed her. She didn't know whether she was hurt because he'd forced himself onto her, or because he'd cut off the kiss so quickly. Unable to come up with something to say, she simply repeated CDs words from earlier, "It's been a tough week for all of us Gage. The women… the tape… I'm sorry I haven't been there for you."

Gage could have slapped himself; she hadn't been there for him? He shrugged, turning to one side so he could offer his partner his hand, "No. You're right. It's been tough for all of us. I wasn't there for you either."

Sydney took her partner's hand, letting him lead her back to the bar. When they got to the doors he released his hold on her, swinging through with his goofy smile on his face. Sydney was about to follow when she felt someone's eyes on her. She whirled around to see nothing but an empty street. Shuddering, she glanced both directions before turning away and following Gage. She pasted a smile on her face, ignoring the feeling as fried nerves as she went to re-join her friends, thanking Gage for his help with her car.

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Nico sat in his car across the street from CD's Bar and Grill, smiling crookedly as he replayed the video of the almost violent kiss. His eyes glanced up at the retreating form of the lady ranger, and he laughed as she whirled around. He dragged his gaze over her body, enjoying the knowledge that she could feel his eyes on her, but had no idea who or where he was. He started the engine as she swung through the double doors, driving down the street slowly as he contemplated this new development in his plot.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Here it is folks, please remember to feed my ego and break my back with your reviews. I don't care if you hate it, so long as you tell me why. So let me know what you love, hate, and could just die for in this climactic chapter!**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 4: I'll be sure to enjoy her!**

Now that Alex knew that Sydney was her designated body guard, she fell into a rhythm with her friend to make their days easier. Every morning Walker would drive her to work, he'd demanded that she stay at the ranch with him until the investigation was over, and Sydney would meet them at Alex's office, politely turning away while Walker kissed his fiancé goodbye. Alex would go to work and Sydney would work on her own caseload on the other side of the desk, each woman shifting into professional mode as easily as if they had been born to it. Occasionally someone from the legal department or from Company B would pop in to run some questions by one of them, but these conversations were never an imposition.

Gage had taken to stopping by with Sydney's morning coffee, convincing himself that Alex couldn't handle 'grumpy-without-morning-caffeine' Sydney, although in reality he just liked to see her. He missed the way she would plop her hip on his desk while discussing a case, and couldn't wait until they found the freak who had killed those women. So he could have his partner back.

Sydney was escorting Alex to the courthouse for a briefing, listening to Alex's chatter about the wedding, when a tall figure caught her eye.

Nico was waiting for the ladies, sitting casually at a café across the street from the courthouse. When he saw them walking toward the steps he quickly stood up and waved, plastering a pleasant smile on his face as he dashed across the traffic-ridden street, "Ms. Cooke…"

Sydney stopped and smiled, checking to make sure Alex was waiting for her, "Nico?"

Nico scooped her tiny hand up in his own, admiring the contrast between her light caramel skin and his bronzed tones, he bent to bestow a soft butterfly kiss on her knuckles before beaming down at her, "You know, I was just thinking about you as I sat down to lunch, and then I looked up and there you were… Ms. Cahill, it's lovely to see you too."

Alex smiled, her blue eyes flickering between Sydney and Nico as she accepted his kiss to her knuckles, "Nico, what a surprise. Whatever brings you to this side of town?"

Nico dropped Alex's hand and walked with the two ladies toward the courthouse, gazing intently at Sydney, "Actually, I was hoping to invite your lovely Ranger friend to lunch with me, but when I called upon her office she wasn't there."

Sydney smiled, that was sweet…but her mind was working a million miles an hour, how did he know that she was a Ranger? Alex saw her hesitate and intervened, her inner matchmaker taking control, "Oh, I'm sorry Nico, Sydney has been helping me with an important case of late, and she's been in my office."

Nico glanced over at Alex, _just as I thought - security detail…_, before bestowing his most charming smile upon the slightly flustered Ranger, "Well, I haven't ordered yet. Have you eaten lunch Ms. Cooke?"

Sydney smiled, "Please, call me Sydney, and no, I haven't. But Alex and I were just heading to a debriefing…"

Alex cut in, noticing the way Nico's smile fell a little, she smiled brightly as she laid a hand on Sydney's shoulder, "You really don't need to be there at the debriefing Sydney, really. Go, enjoy yourself. I'll meet you back at the office in an hour."

Sydney's almond eyes flickered between Alex and Nico, she was trapped…not that a lunch with the mysterious Nico was the worst place in the world to be…, she glanced at Alex one last time, "Alex, are you sure… I can…"

Alex started walking away, grinning merrily at the two of them as Nico placed Sydney's hand in his, "Positive. I'll see you in a bit, Sydney. Nico, it was nice to see you again."

Nico licked his lips, "Oh Ms. Cahill, the pleasure was all mine."

Sydney allowed Nico to lead her across the street, tossing a cursory glance over her shoulder as Alex's pinstripe-clad figure disappeared into the Courthouse. _Nothing is going to happen to her,_ she told herself, _she's in a courthouse for goodness sake! Nothing is going to happen to her during the debriefing._

Nico acknowledged Sydney's reluctance with a flash of his eyes; she was going to be a problem, he already knew it. He led her back to his table at the café and pulled her chair out for her, tossing a cursory glance at the dark suburban parked at the curb. He started innocent conversation with Sydney, enticing her to tell him more about her 'exciting' job and how she had come to be a Texas Ranger.

Sydney was delighted; no man had ever asked her about her life as though it were the most interesting thing in the world. Nico didn't even seem to care that her job was 'a guy's job' and instead commented on how her mind must be one of the greatest assets to the team. By the time they had finished their entrees and Nico was attempting to persuade Sydney to share a dessert with him, the brunette had almost forgotten all about Alex and the need to watch out for her.

Almost.

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Gage was sitting at his desk, pretending to do paperwork while he watched the minutes tick by. Sydney and Alex would be coming back from the briefing in a few minutes, if he left the office now he could intercept them at the courthouse and convince them to take lunch with him at one of the nice little cafés that lined the streets of downtown Dallas. Dropping his pen he started heading for the door when Walker and Trivette strolled in.

Trivette grinned, "Hey Gage, going someplace?"

Gage glanced guiltily at Walker before revising his plan, "Yeah. I was thinking we could pick the girls up at the courthouse and take them out for a quick lunch."

Walker glanced at the clock, and noted the rumbling of his stomach, "Good idea Gage."

Gage heaved an internal sigh of relief, and excitement, as he followed his boss out the door. At least Walker hadn't ordered him back to his paperwork.

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Sydney twisted her wrist a little to check the time and was astonished to see that she had been talking with Nico for almost an hour. The debriefing would be over in a few minutes and Sydney had no intention of letting Alex walk back to her office alone.

She smiled over at Nico, apologizing, "No, I'm sorry I can't today Nico. I really must be running. I have to run some information by Alex before she gets back to the office."

Nico stood with her, his eyes flashing angrily even as his smile stayed bright, "Ms. Cooke, you have been the most delightful luncheon companion. Are you sure you won't consider dessert?"

Sydney stepped back a little, did she imagine that look in his eye? "No. I can't Nico, really. Maybe another time though."

Nico nodded, dropping some bills on the table to pay for their meal before reaching across to stall Sydney one more time, "Then please, let me escort you to the courthouse. I've got some business to attend to myself."

Sydney's smile stayed in place but her mind was racing, what business? Nico had mentioned that he was a businessman, but he hadn't said much else about himself. In fact, Sydney thought with disbelief, the man hadn't said much about himself; he kept redirecting the conversation back to what she did for a living.

Sydney allowed Nico to place her hand on his arm and lead her back across the crosswalk, posing a question once they reached the median, "Nico, you never did tell me what exactly you do for a living…"

Nico tensed ever so slightly as he eyed the black suburban, now in motion, "Oh. It's really not all that important my dear. Just business."

Sydney raised an eyebrow, "Do you work around here?"

Nico shrugged, keeping an eye on the suburban as it swung around and pulled into the fire lane at the courthouse, "Sometimes. Tell me Ms. Cooke…Sydney," he noticed Alex climbing down the steps from the courthouse and swung the Ranger around in his arms, pulling her inside the loop of his arms, "Why the sudden interest in my life?"

Sydney felt Nico's arms close around her back, leaving a thin, hot strip of air between them as he looked down at her with those intense sometimes-green eyes of his, she licked her lips nervously, looking everywhere but at his face, "Well, I feel as though you know my life's story and I don't know a thing about you…not even your last name."

Nico was looking over Sydney's head, his eyes narrowed in excitement as he watched a man in black climb out of the suburban, "There's really nothing to tell, Sydney…my life is so dull compared to yours."

Sydney noticed his lack of focus and turned her head a little, to see what he was seeing, "At least tell me what you do for a living. What type of business are you into?"

Nico flicked his eyes back to Sydney, smiling cruelly, "Film."

A high-pitched scream tore through the air and Sydney felt her heart stop, Alex! She turned her head to see a man in black – the ninja – dragging a struggling Alex down the last couple of steps and toward a small suburban. Reality hit her with the force of a thousand horses and she whipped her head back to Nico's contorted face, planting her fists into his chest as she struggled against the iron bands that were his arms.

"You son-of-a-bitch!"

Nico held on to the struggling woman easily, tucking her against his side like a rag doll as he strolled, gun in hand, toward the suburban. Police officers were running from inside the building, dashing down the steps in a comic race to rescue their ADA princess. Nico flicked his eyes to the camera that was set up in a window across the street, thrilling himself with mental images of Alex Cahill being dragged into the suburban by a Ninja… The man had even strapped his sword across his back for effect. Brilliant, he thought, as Sydney elbowed him in the ribs and stomach ferociously.

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Walker, Trivette, and Gage had just cleared their building when they heard the scream. Instincts kicked in and the three of them raced toward the scene, scanning the area for casualties and preparing to fire at the car as the Ninja climbed into the black suburban. Walker paused as he saw a man with a gun approaching the car, holding a writhing woman in his arms, the man had stalled the police officers who had come raced out of the courthouse, but Walker signaled to his Rangers to fan out, the man hadn't seen them yet.

Walker made it within about twenty feet of the car when the man whirled around, the steel of his semi-auto pressing it's cold form into Sydney Cooke's temple, "Stop, Texas Rangers!" the man jested, jabbing the gun more forcefully against her head, "I mean it Walker, stop, or you'll get to see lady-Ranger brains splattered all over the concrete!"

Walker kept his gun leveled, flicking his eyes to Gage and Trivette, who were on either side of him, he took a step forward, his voice low and dangerous, "Drop the gun."

Nico smiled, enjoying the way Sydney wriggled in his arms, scared - but not enough to stop fightng, he tipped the gun down, to her jaw, caressing her face with the weapon as he focused in on the other Rangers, "Well, well, who do we have here? Ranger Trivette and Ranger Gage…you know, I have some wonderful footage of you Ranger Gage…you and the lady ranger."

Gage clenched his jaw, fear for his partner and Alex buried beneath layers of adrenaline and anger, he curled his lip in distaste, unwilling to dignify the man with a response. Instead he leveled his sights on the man's left eye, mentally picturing the path of the bullet as he waited for the perfect moment.

The side door of the suburban opened behind him and Nico winked at Gage before falling backwards into the vehicle, dragging Sydney Cooke with him, "I'll be sure to enjoy her!" he shouted, shooting randomly into the crowd to create pandemonium as the car peeled away from the curb.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here it is folks, please remember to feed my ego and break my back with your reviews. Chapter Five was fun to write, so I hope you have a lot to say about it…**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 5: Revelations**

Walker and Gage released a couple of rounds into the back of the suburban, racing across the concrete sidewalks as the vehicle pulled into the heavy traffic. Gage tucked his gun back into his belt, afraid of hitting Sydney or Alex with a stray bullet, as he pumped his legs as fast as he could, keeping an eye on the car as the distance between them disappeared.

Walker lost sight of the car and slowed down, letting fury and hatred boil up inside of him as he clenched his gun in his hand. Gage slowed down beside him, stopping on the corner and meeting his mentor's blue eyes with his own. The two men heard shouting behind them and turned to see Trivette, breathing heavily, racing toward them.

Trivette stumbled to a stop beside his companions and flicked his eyes back and forth between the two men's angry faces, suddenly realizing just how much alike the two men really were when he was met with stony anger. He panted to catch his breath before addressing his partner and the younger Ranger, "Walker… the guards from the courthouse said they saw a ninja take Alex. They say that Alex was alone when she came out of the courthouse…"

Walker scowled, _why would Sydney leave Alex?_, and glared at his partner, "Did anyone recognize the man with the gun?"

Trivette shook his head, hands on knees as he struggled to regain normal breathing rhythm, fear for his friends racing through his veins, "No. DPD officers are still taking statements, but some people from the café said that the man ate lunch with Sydney. He paid in cash."

Gage saw Walker's jaw clench and tried to think up a reason that Sydney would ignore her protection detail. When he couldn't think of any he simply glared at the older man, daring him to say anything negative about his partner.

Walker glanced at Gage's face, seeing defiance, and turned away, heading back toward Ranger headquarters with clenched fists, "Then we'd better work on finding out who that man is. Trivette, I want you to see if the traffic cameras got a good picture of him. Gage…"

Gage caught up with Walker, neither man looking the other man in the face as Walker continued, "Run the license plate number from the Suburban and see who it's registered to."

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Sydney struggled out of Nico's grasp as the Suburban door slid closed, rapidly delivering several blows to the man's chest as she placed herself between him and Alex. Her friend was tossed behind the driver's seat, unconscious, and had a small trial of blood dripping from her left temple. Sydney glared at Nico as he reached for her, smacking his hand away angrily as she tried to think of a way out of this.

Nico glanced at the Ninja before returning his dark gaze to Sydney, "Are you upset because I outwitted you Ranger? Or because you were so friendly at lunch…"

Sydney pursed her lips, "If you'd outsmarted me I wouldn't be here right now."

Nico's thick eyebrow danced upward and he reached for Sydney once again, "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I wanted you here?"

Sydney growled, she definitely growled, as she smacked his hand away once more, "That would be _very _stupid of you."

Nico sat back on his haunches and grinned, "You weren't in the original script, but I think you might just become the star of the show…"

Sydney scowled at Nico, what the hell was he talking about, "Where are you taking us?"

Nico shook his head, reaching out to snag Sydney's chin in his hand, studying her as though she were a prop, moving her head this way and that, "To the scene of the crime."

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Gage hit a dead end with the license plate and sat, brooding, at his desk. Walker had disappeared long ago and Trivette was down in the tech-zone with Dan, going over traffic and security camera footage from the entire street. Gage was alone in the office with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, and as far as they were concerned…Gage didn't like where his thoughts were heading.

Sydney was normally a very level-headed woman – or so Gage believed – in all the years he'd known her she had never done something as stupid as leaving Alex alone. Sure, court was boring…but what would have possessed his partner to have left Alex alone for even one second. Especially when the orders came from Walker himself!

Gage frowned, if Walker so much as tried to blame this on Sydney… his breath came in short, loud huffs as Gage thought of that showdown. This wasn't Sydney's fault. The only reason she would have left Alex is if she was under duress…or…

Who was that man? Gage pictured the man – God was he huge! – standing outside the Courthouse as he clutched Sydney against him. Deep down in his gut a feeling of recognition began to take root… Gage narrowed his eyes as he sought to place the man….

"Gage!"

Gage snapped his head up, Trivette was standing in front of his desk with a sober expression on his face. In lieu of speaking to the other Ranger, Gage simply raised an eyebrow, a habit – he mused – he must have picked up from his partner.

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The still silent 'ninja' pulled up at an abandoned warehouse on the opposite side of town from the one Sydney had found the other bodies in. Sydney tried to fend him off as he reached to carry Alex out of the car, but Nico tackled her in the small space, pinning her body against the back of the passenger side seat as his accomplice took Alex into the building…and out of sight.

Sydney jerked her body underneath the larger man, trying to gain the upper hand as Nico whispered into her hair, "You know, the more you fight the more I think you want me to hold on to you…"

Sydney stilled herself, drawing calming breaths in through her nose as she closed her mind to the sick things Nico was muttering. He was detailing how he planned to defile and mutilate her friend before he dealt with her. As he did so he carefully dragged her backwards, out of the van, knowing that she wouldn't run if she didn't have the lady Cahill with her.

Sydney very carefully created a mental map of the warehouse. It was in the middle of a barren stretch of land, which meant that they would have to run a long distance before they could stop, and there was – as far as she could see – only one entrance to the building. The warehouse itself seemed to be a large, cement room with nothing more than a few chains and crumbling walls interrupting the endless stretch of floor. The ninja, Sydney noticed again how dark his skin and eyes were, was twirling his swords as though her were bored, and Alex had been strung up against a wall. She shut her eyes as she realized that there really was no hope of escape unless they got really lucky. Shit!

Nico smiled cruelly as he chained Sydney next to her friend, his eyes glancing back and forth – catlike – between the two women, "Maybe I'll let you decide who gets to suffer first."

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Trivette continued, caught between wanting to let Gage know before he told Walker, and his loyalty to his partner, "I found something on the tapes from the café across from the Courthouse…"

Gage zoned in, standing eagerly, "What? Did somebody recognize him, was he there before?"

Trivette stepped back, ever so slightly, this really wasn't going to go over well, "It's Sydney, Gage, she…"

Gage leaned over his desk, excitement overflowing as his fingers clutched at the hardwood, "What? She what?"

Trivette spit it out, "She was there, with the man during the time Alex was at the Courthouse. It seems…it looks like they were having lunch together."

Gage felt like his entire world was collapsing inside of him as a roar erupted from the door to Ranger Headquarters, "What!"

Trivette whirled around and Gage inflated himself as Walker stalked across the room to stand, eye to eye across the desk, in front of Gage, "What the hell is wrong with your partner Ranger Gage? Who is so important that _she_ thinks she can ditch my wife and have lunch at a café? With a man – not just any man mind you – a man who minutes after they polish off dessert, abducts my wife! I'll…"

Trivette mumbled in between outbursts, "Actually…they didn't have dessert."

Gage was full on angry bear mode, specks of saliva flew out of his mouth as he leaned across his desk, glaring at his superior, "What makes you think I know who she ate lunch with? If you'll recall, I was the one with the brilliant idea to take the girls out to lunch. If I'd known that Syd was going out with some unknown…unknown…" A mental picture flew through Gage's subconscious, breaking the flow of his outburst as he saw Alex's laughing face as Sydney replied to her story, _'Yeah. It was one of fear, that man's so big he nearly knocked me to kingdom come!'_, Gage spoke his thoughts aloud without even knowing it, "He isn't an unknown man… Sydney and Alex ran into him the other night. It's Nico…Walker, it's gotta be Nico! He's been watching Alex…and Sydney too once you put her on duty to protect Alex…"

Trivette let his mind whir, "On the tape, he bumped into them as Sydney was escorting Alex to the Courthouse. I bet he decided to separate them to make his move. Sydney seemed uncomfortable at the end of the meal..."

Walker frowned, "Still, all we've got is a name and a face."

Gage was beginning to smile, just a little as he thought of ways to track down and smash in Nico's smug face, "It's something."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Okay Dokay here's the next chapter in my little series, please remember to feed my ego and break my back with your reviews. Chapter six is like a baby climax, it's a little goofy, a little serious, and some of the characters do some really crazy things. I hope you have a lot to say about it…and as always I hope you…**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 6: The Script**

Dusk was falling and Sydney had gotten sick of pulling on the chains. She knew it was a pointless, energy-wasting effort, but her wrists and ankles were chafed none-the-less. Alex, the young Ranger noted, was unusually calm, even after their captors had disappeared, leaving them to bake in the one patch of sunlight in the entire warehouse.

Alex was just hanging in the chains next to Sydney, her eyes downcast as she cursed herself for being an idiot. She'd always thought she had a great intuition when it came to trusting people, but Nico…he'd fooled her. She'd thought he was the perfect tool to make Gage jealous with Sydney, all the while she was in court she was plotting ways of bringing up Sydney's lunch date with the handsome stranger so that Gage would overhear. Her and her meddling…

She sighed, the tortured sound causing Sydney to glance over at her, "Alex…"

Alex lifted her blue eyes to Sydney's brown ones, amazed at how even in the most dire situations her friend could have fight burning in her eyes, "Sydney…I'm sorry. I got us into this mess. You shouldn't be here."

Sydney's heart constricted painfully. Look who was thinking that this was her problem, she'd set her strait, "No. No, Alex, it's my fault. I should never have left you alone to go to court, no matter how much you told me to go with… to go to lunch. I let my own emotions, and hunger, override my sense of reason."

Nico had strolled into the building as Sydney was completing her mini-speech; he smiled and flicked on the camera, catching the before-death interview as though it were the most important part of the film. Once satisfied that the camera was rolling, he strolled into view, cupping Sydney's cheek and leaning in close, careful to speak loudly enough that the sensitive mics on his beloved camera would catch the sound, "Hungry were you? I'll take care of that."

Sydney's body convulsed, tugging angrily at the chains that held her tight to the wall as Nico pressed his cold, hard lips over hers. He took his time, playing with her lips even as they were pinched tightly closed, his tongue darted out to taste the last remnants of her lipstick and he made an audible growl as he envisioned the footage. His own hunger started to rise as the images his camera were catching on tape flooded his mind. He nipped Sydney's earlobe, his canine drawing a speck of blood. Grinding his pelvis into the lady Ranger's hip, he pleasured himself with her defiant whimpers and a plan that was newly forming in his mind.

As quickly as he had been on her, he was off. Strolling back to his camera and stopping the recording, debating momentarily between watching his new footage and discussing the script with his cast.

Flipping the camera to play-back mode, he let the footage play itself over and over again in the background as he motioned for the Ninja to come in, smiling at the two women as he spoke, "Tonight, my dear actresses, is dress-rehearsal!"

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Walker had Dan using the security footage and some new FBI face-matching technology to get a name. He had locked himself into the basement lab with the other man and sat, staring at the faces flashing across the screen, with an angry frown. Dan, less than eager to be around Walker in his current state, had made some excuses hours ago and had disappeared; no one had walked into the lab since. Walker scowled; they could tip-toe around him all they wanted so long as they got their work done.

As far as he was concerned, nothing had been accomplished that day and his fiancé was still out there, missing with some mad lunatic and an irresponsible security detail. His eyes were blazing, the pictures on the computer screen a mad blur, each one looking more and more like his most Junior Ranger, each one mocking him in a husky female voice – I'm sorry Walker, I just got hungry. But he was so handsome Boss, and I've had a really long dry spell. Alex told me to; she refused to let me go to court…

Walker's fists slammed down onto the keyboard with enough force to crack the little plastic buttons. His chest was moving in time with his rapid breathing as he struggled to shake off his midnight delusions. The faces on the screen disappeared and some sort of error message popped up, beeping at an already angry man.

Walker grabbed the phone and punched in the numbers, waiting for the sound of his partner's voice, "Trivette, get down here and fix the computer!"

Trivette, who had been going over the backgrounds of every Nico who had ever been to Texas, jumped out of his seat, the phone dragging across the desk as he started walking out the door with the receiver to his ear. Feeling the tension he ran back to place the now flat-lined phone back in its cradle, tossing an apologetic glance at Gage, who was buried in his own mountain of paperwork, looking for abandoned warehouses that didn't have security guards.

Gage watched Trivette race out the door, a snide voice in his head taking control, mocking the way the older man jumped to do Walker's bidding. He couldn't help it. Even though he was immediately sorry, the snide voice kept popping up, mocking everybody around him, blaming them for Sydney and Alex's kidnapping. He was ticked off, at Walker, at Trivette, at the mysterious Nico…at Sydney.

He groaned, dropping his head onto the ever-increasing list of un-protected buildings. That was it, really, the cause of that snarky announcer in his brain. This was, probably, his partner's fault…and, Gage clenched his teeth together until his jaw hurt, the 'probably' was really just a bit of wishful thinking on the young Ranger's part.

He let himself feel the anger, let it bubble up inside of him and burst out in irrational tears and not-so-nice words as the images of Sydney having a polite lunch with the man who not ten minutes later dragged her into a van at gunpoint paraded across Gage's mind like some sick sort of film. Even though Trivette had told him, he'd still had to see it himself, he had spent almost half the day with the lunch running on his computer screen. Over and over he had watched his partner, a woman he trusted with his life, who he liked probably more than he would ever admit, laughing and smiling up at the sickeningly handsome face of _Nico_.

Gage sucked in a breath, letting the air whistle through his lungs as he crumpled the next piece of paper in his pile, crushing the document the way he wanted to crush Nico's throat. Tossing the crumpled mess across the room he watched dejectedly as it bounced off the side of the trashcan and landed on the floor in front of his partner's desk.

Trivette walked back into headquarters to grab Sydney's keyboard when the white missile streaked past the tip of his nose. Jerking backwards he glanced over at Gage to see that he looked just about at miserable and angry as Walker did. _Great, _Trivette thought, _now I've got two of them to deal with. And Sydney isn't even here to soothe her partner…_ he left of an angry remark in his thoughts, not ready to admit to himself that he might be just as mad at the only lady Ranger in Company B as the other two men were. Bending over to pick up the crumpled document, Trivette smirked a little at himself. He wasn't mad because the woman he loved…or cared for…was missing or had abandoned her duty to eat lunch with another man. No, he was mad because Sydney had left him here with these two grizzlies while she had a nice break chained to a wall somewhere.

He winced, mentally smacking himself as he carefully smoothed out the document. Gage was looking at him, his blue eyes blazing at whatever image he was actually seeing, and Trivette ignored the gaze, swiftly reading the details on the page before him.

Gage was swept out of his daydream with the excited holler that erupted from Trivette, "Gage! We found it, oh yeah, we found it! Call Walker, on second thought I'll call Walker, you…you look up Andre Diaz, owner of the first warehouse…and this one!"

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Alex let a shriek of fear rip through her as the Ninja drew his sword and moved toward her. She pinched her eyes closed, pressing back against the rough concrete wall as the menacing blade sliced through the air. The whistling sounds continued, but the blade never once touched her, dancing instead a mere millimeter away as the Ninja followed Nico's intricate script. The dark man's eyes were narrowed as the oversized scumbag called out to him from his director's chair, correcting a certain movement or changing the order of which piece of flesh would be cut out first.

Sydney refused to close her eyes when the madman moved on to her, even as Nico inserted the now-familiar comment about how he would enjoy them first. She was getting sick of hearing it, and even sicker of the way he had to graze her every time he walked by. As the blade sliced through the air in front of her face she realized that this was the same pattern he'd done for Alex…this wasn't really a dress-rehearsal, but a chance to increase the level of fear in their victims.

Sydney's mind began formulating a plan as she boldly interrupted the 'rehearsal, "I won't scream. Not even when the blade is actually slicing through me. I'm just not feeling it."

Alex opened her eyes and stared incredulously at her friend, not feeling it? Alex's own heart was pounding at about a thousand beats a minute; her body had pumped enough adrenaline into her system to make her feel as though she were on speed. And here her only comrade in this horrible dilemma was acting like a drama queen and informing their crazy director that she didn't feel it? Alex could do nothing but open and close her mouth as she attempted to find words to express exactly how far off the deep end she figured Sydney had gone.

Sydney, on the other hand, had Nico's full attention. The man stood up behind his camera, glancing back and forth between his Ninja, who seemed to almost be smiling, and the new star of his show. "What do you mean? This man, my dearest, is going to be slicing into your flesh with his blade, crisscrossing your body with cuts that are deep enough to torture you but not deep enough to make you bleed out. He's going to slice your flesh from your arms and legs and let you see what your muscles actually look like. He's going to scar you, toy with you, make you plead with him, and you will. Trust me, you will."

Sydney shrugged, "Oh sure, I'll scream eventually. But not from horror, it'll be the pain that gets to me. This is old news for you, director… a 'been there, done that' sort of thing. It doesn't matter how many ways you slice up the women chained to a wall, it's only scary once. And it's only scary for the audience if I'm scared."

Alex would have ripped out some of her hair if she could; her friend had definitely taken that plunge into insanity. Yup, she just jumped right off the ledge, and left both of them hanging up against a cement wall, "Sydney?" No one answered.

The Ninja thought about it, this 'new character' might just be the break he needed. If Nico was so busy re-writing his script then that would leave him ample time to execute his own plan, "She's right."

His deep, timbre voice sounded almost unearthly to Sydney's ears, it was too deep, too low, too something. But she ignored the way the voice made her feel uncomfortable and took the extra bait he'd given her, "I bet it gets boring for the real star of your show too. I mean really, how scary can an anonymous ninja be if you already know what he's going to do?"

Nico stared at his cast, the movie reel in his head spinning like the wheels on a car as he pictured a new masterpiece, an even more frightening masterpiece. Something that would go down as the most terrifying horror film ever written. His smile was frightening, a half-smile that made his face look as though he'd had a stroke. He addressed his cast, more pleased with his choices than ever before, "Yes…yes, you're right of course. I told you you'd become a star. It must be different…must be better, but it has to ring true to the rest of the series."

Sydney let herself smile a little. This was good; this was time-consuming stuff that would postpone their film-date for sure. Even though she couldn't physically get Alex out of this situation, she could definitely give Walker more time to figure out where they were. Her smile faded as Nico walked over to her, sizing her up in a completely different way.

"You're a Ranger, right? I hear that you guys are some of the toughest fighters around…" Nico's lips curled up evilly as he stared down at the chained woman, "I don't suppose you know how to use a katana?"

Sydney shook her head, her stomach sinking just a little, "No. I was never very good with swords."

Nico turned away, his laugh almost too calm as he strolled out of the warehouse, "Well, you'd better learn or your scene is going to be cut short!"

The Ninja stared at Sydney for a moment, shrugging almost apologetically before he turned to face Alex. He smiled then, really smiled, and leaned forward to whisper something in the blond woman's ear before he turned and trotted off after Nico.

Sydney waited until she heard two car doors slam shut, "Alex, what did he say to you?"

Alex looked at her friend, her sane friend, "He told me not to worry, there were going to be more changes to the script tomorrow."

Sydney raised her eyebrows, the two friends staring at each other as darkness settled completely over the warehouse. They were left with the distinct impression that the Ninja hadn't issued a threat, but a promise.


	7. Chapter 7

_**I simply couldn't wait to get this one out…I've finally gotten inspiration for this story, so please remember to feed my ego and break my back with your reviews. Chapter seven is where the real story heats up; let me know if I succeed in surprising you because I really think you're going to love/hate this chapter. I hope you have a lot to say about it…and as always I hope you…**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 7: **

Gage slammed his fist down on the metal table, the sharp sound dragging the old man's eyes up to meet his, "Where the hell is Nico?"

The old man glanced back and forth between the two blue-eyed men, shaking slightly because of the anger that radiated off of them in waves, "I don't know a Nico."

Walker bent over the table, leveling his eyes with Andre Diaz, "Then explain to me why exactly you're in jail?"

The old man shrugged, "Darned if I know…some fella comes and asks me if he can use my warehouses for some horror flick he's shootin'. Next thing you know the cops are at my door saying some women were murdered at one of the warehouses. I told 'em I knew and they dragged me off…don't know why…"

Gage shot a sidelong glance at Walker, it was 8am and they were interviewing a deranged old man, "You knew about the murders?"

Andre nodded, looking at Gage as though he were a complete idiot, "Course I did young man, the fella was shootin' a horror film, weren't he?"

Trivette rolled his eyes behind the two-way mirror, his partner had practically demanded that DPD drag this poor old coot out of bed at an ungodly hour in the morning and had been interrogating him ever since. The man didn't know anything. The picture they had of Nico was apparently not the man who had asked to use the warehouses, and Trivette had had to leave the room because the old man kept pointing at him whenever he was asked who wanted to shoot the horror films.

Gage's shoulders dropped, this was pointless and they were wasting time that could be spent chasing down another lead. Walker, however, seemed determined that they would find the answer through Andre and continued questioning him, "Did the man who used your warehouses have a name?"

Andre scratched his head with one bony finger, squinting his eyes as though he were trying to remember something that was on the tip of his tongue, his eyes opened back up and he shook his head, "I'm sorry Ranger, but I can't 'member. The old brain's goin' you know? He came up and asked me to use my places and I told him he'd have to sign some sort of contract in case he damaged them warehouses. Just wanted the two of 'em. I don't need my property goin' and bein' messud up now. He signed and left. You sure that fella you got there behind your glass ain't him? Looks a mite similar to me."

Walker had latched onto the one important piece of information in the old man's rambling. He sat down on the other side of the table and tried to smile…failing and settling for something more than a frown, "Mr. Diaz, do you remember what you did with that contract? The one that the man signed?"

The old man shook his head, wagging his finger at Walker as though he were a foolish schoolboy, "Of course I do young man, you know, there's no point in having a contract writ up if you can't find it. Why, it's right here in my jacket…"

The old man felt around on his orange jump-suit, feeling for a pocket that wasn't there, "Say, where's my jacket?"

He was speaking to an empty room. Gage and Walker had raced to the door and met Trivette in the hall, the three of them speeding off to collect Andre's personal effects and find out where Nico was keeping the women.

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The morning air was cold and damp in the warehouse, the sunlight failing to warm the freezing women as it shined too bright in their eyes. Nico and the Ninja had arrived with the sun and had gotten the set ready. Neither man had spoken to the women and the Ninja had stayed suspiciously far away, casting furtive glances at Alex as Nico fiddled with his camera.

Alex glanced over at Sydney and the sword that was leaning against the wall beside her. She was worried for her friend, after Nico had latched onto Sydney's 'idea' last night, Alex had realized that her friend was playing the actress card not because she was loony, but because she was stalling. The ADA chewed on her lip as her friend stared dead ahead, look where that tactic had gotten her now.

Sydney wanted to say something comforting, something that would make Alex believe that she could win a fight against an accomplished swordsman any day of the week. But she couldn't bring herself to lie to her friend as the clock ticked closer to their demise. Their only chance was if Sydney got lucky and managed to disarm the Ninja, even then, she figured that Nico would quickly join the fight and she wasn't sure if she could take both men…definitely not if she had to keep one of them away from his deadly weapon of choice. No, Sydney thought, she wouldn't be able to save them.

Nico strolled over to unlock Sydney from her restraints; he figured the fact that he had Alex Cahill chained to the wall would prevent the lady Ranger from running. Sydney saw the red light blinking behind Nico and glared at her captor, the camera was rolling.

The Ninja picked up his sword and dallied with it, swinging it around his shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world as he neared his prey. She hadn't even picked up her sword and he wondered if she was just going to give in. Nico wouldn't like that, and it would completely ruin his own plans.

He pressed play on the mechanical voice box Nico made him wear, "Pick it up or I kill your lady friend."

Sydney slid her fingers around the fabric-bound handle and glanced at Alex one last time. _No_, she thought, _I'm not going to make it. But I'm not going to go out easy either! _Her arm swung up and out in time to block the Ninja's blade from slicing into her friend's body. She pushed back at him in an attempt to gain leverage and stumbled forward when he nimbly jumped out of the way.

His sword was whistling through the air at her shoulder and Sydney felt the sharp sting of splitting flesh as the tip dragged through her muscle. Her shirt-sleeve ripped away with a dexterous twist of her opponent's weapon and the bloodied gash was revealed to Nico's delight - blood made for good footage. Alex cried out when she saw the blood but Sydney remained silent, as she had promised Nico she would.

The Ninja swung his sword around again, stepping backwards to let the Ranger attack. Sydney didn't disappoint and he easily parried her clumsy thrusts, almost enjoying the clash of metal against metal. A quick jab from his opponent snapped him out of his reverie and he pushed forward to regain the upper hand. Momentary admiration flashed in his dark eyes as she blocked his sword repeatedly. What this lady lacked in skill she made up for in determination.

He was going easy on her, playing with her as though she were nothing more than a toy filled with catnip and he the cat stalking her. Sydney knew this as her sword connected with his forearm, dragging forth a narrow line of blood that was probably nothing more than a scratch. The Ninja pushed forward, purposely leaving his body exposed, waiting for the woman to take the step that would catapult his plan into action.

Alex was watching their game in horror, praying that Sydney would win, while praying that if she didn't, her death be as quick and painless as possible. She wanted to remain optimistic, but in the early morning light with the sounds of clashing swords reverberating around an empty warehouse…well, she slumped a little more in her chains as another line of blood burst forth on Sydney's arm, it was very difficult to see the silver lining.

Nico was high on life as he watched the battle rage before his eyes. His trusty little camera was picking up every detail as he rooted for the pretty Ranger to fell the Ninja, at the same time waiting for the blow that would cripple the woman and end the fight. Then he, director extraordinaire, would jump in to save the day, killing his comrade in arms before turning on the women and torturing them in ways they never would have imagined. His body shook with silent, maniac laughter as the woman went in for the kill and his ninja plunged his sword into the Ranger's thigh. She wanted horror? He was going to give it to her.

Sydney cried out then, a high-pitched groan that turned to gasp as the curved tip of her opponent's weapon drove itself further into her flesh. Her own sword clattered to the ground and she stumbled backwards, falling against the wall next to her friend as the Ninja approached her slowly. Her world swam as blood poured out of the wound and she worried that he might have nicked her femoral artery, ending any chance she may have had to protect her friend.

Nico saw his moment and burst into the scene, calling out in his best heroic voice as he scooped up the dropped sword, "Stop! I won't have you slaughtering these women today."

The Ninja dropped his sword, a cold smile crossing his face as he looked at Nico as though he were an ant beneath his feet. "I'm done taking orders from you."

A shot rang out through the warehouse, the sharp punch of it echoing in the empty chamber. Nico looked from the barrel pointed at him to his chest, where bright punches of red were pouring out of a hole that didn't belong.

His eyes began to fade and he sank to his knees, clutching at the wound with a look of wonder and sick joy on his face, "So this is what it feels like…"

Alex scrame as the Ninja turned on her.

_**Hey folks, I normally don't write to ya'll after the fact, but I wanted to let you know that I've got a poll on my profile that I'd like you to check out. I'm working on a pretty epic series of stories that will probably make a lot of you very happy, and I wanted to see if the fandom (you guys) was at all interested in it or if it is a 'just for me' thing. I will post these stories no matter what, but if a lot of interest is expressed I will definitely do it on a schedule, in fact, if everything goes as planned there'll be a 'story' a week coming out (in August probably). So check it out and vote to let me know! Thanks all!**_

_**Ckorkows**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Well, this is by far my shortest chapter…sorry…but it really was begging to stop there and I have to carefully plot out the next couple of chapters before my characters completely take over the plot. I hope you like the surprise (it's a small one…)! Also, I hope you have a lot to say about it (id: reviews!) …and as always I hope you…**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_

**Bad Timing –** Alex Cahill is Walker's fiancé and as such, she's been the target of one too many revenge plots. So when a new dirt bag shows up in town, threats in tow, Walker details Ranger Cooke to protect the love of his life. What ensues when the Ranger fails and both of the women end up in a dangerous predicament?

**Chapter 8: **

_Nico saw his moment and burst into the scene, calling out in his best heroic voice as he scooped up the dropped sword, "Stop! I won't have you slaughtering these women today."_

_The Ninja dropped his sword, a cold smile crossing his face as he looked at Nico as though he were an ant beneath his feet. "I'm done taking orders from you."_

_The shot rang out through the warehouse, the sharp punch of it echoing in the empty chamber. Nico looked from the barrel pointed at him to his chest, where bright punches of red were pouring out of a hole that didn't belong. _

_His eyes began to fade and he sank to his knees, clutching at the wound with a look of wonder and sick joy on his face, "So this is what it feels like…"_

_Alex scrame as the Ninja turned on her._

The Ninja cut Alex's scream off with his hand, dropping the gun to the ground with an echoing clatter in order to release her from her bonds. Sydney didn't watch, her eyes were glued to the man who was bleeding to death not three feet from her. She had a stony glare, hidden beneath the fading light of her own eyes, the pain and blood loss of her own wound weakening her. He deserved to die; she thought bitterly, her hands working a strip of her sleeve around the wound in her thigh, if anyone in the warehouse deserved that bullet, it was him.

The chains clattered against the cement wall as the Ninja succeeded in releasing the ADA, he quickly captured her in a tight embrace, glancing at the preoccupied Ranger as he began to haul off his catch. Alex struggled against the man's strong chest, jerking herself around inside the circle of his arms as he slowly dragged her away from the scene. Biting his hand she managed to alert her companion, calling out in a voice haggard with desperation as the Ninja's plan came to full realization.

"Sydney!"

The raven-haired Ranger turned, her eyes clearing rapidly as her charge was dragged away from her yet again. A dozen angry voices cried out in her head, Walker's being the loudest as her mental version of her boss told her to get up and do something. She bit her tongue and said a silent promise that she wouldn't let him take Alex. In a burst of energy she reached for the gun, her fingers closing around the cool metal as she locked eyes with the Ninja. She took aim, carefully calculating a kill shot, knowing that she had to shoot and she couldn't miss. Her eyes focused on the far sight, the little white dot that burned a hole through the black ski mask. Breathe in, hold. Finger on the trigger, smooth, slow slide back, tugging against that six-pound pull, hammer rocking, a moment's pause as the mechanics shift and…

CLICK!

The Ninja dropped the mechanic voice machine, his rich laugh booming around the empty space as the lady Ranger looked down at the empty weapon. "You didn't think I'd leave a loaded gun with a Ranger…did you? Foolish girl, say goodbye to your friend."

Sydney's mahogany eyes remained riveted on the firearm, the open slide proof that there was no ammo in the chamber, no magazine in the gun. She cursed herself for not noticing it sooner, could picture the mysterious man racking the firearm closed as he slid the mag from it's hold.

Alex writhed against the man, attempting to struggle free as Sydney's eyes closed, her cry falling on seemingly deaf ears, "Sydney!"

Sydney shook her head, this wasn't happening, this couldn't happen. So long as she was with Alex she could save her, so long as she was with… she bit her tongue as the door swung shut on the warehouse, focusing on the sounds outside, the sounds of car tires spinning in the dust, of car doors slamming, and more tires spinning. The bastard planned this, played Nico, used the man's sick, twisted plans as the springboard for his own, pin-pointed purpose. She listened as the car sounds faded away, and the sounds of the dying man beside her getting louder.

Nico's laugh was maniacal, bursting forth from his lips as he pleasured his mind with the mental footage of what had just occurred. "The best cast….so damn good. Going to sell. Best ever! Who would have thought? He shot me! He had a sword and he shot me! Turned on me and I didn't see it coming. God, I'm gonna die, the hero's gonna die…and the heroine…we're gonna die. He shot me! Took the girl, left the audience hanging… smart cast. Good cast. Great movie!"

Sydney's eyes snapped open, focusing on the camera and its little red dot for a moment before they rested on the dying man. He was crazy, muttering about the movie as though he was going to get up and make a director's cut of it. The Ranger's mind whirred, her mental picture of the warehouse and her knowledge of her captors becoming a blur behind her eyes as she formulated a new plan. The tires, they'd come and gone, meaning there was still a car on the property, the car Nico and the Ninja had driven in that morning. She had a gun...a useless gun...and Nico...Nico...he knew. He had to know. Sydney settled her eyes on her former captor, her face settling into grim determination as she crawled toward him.

Nico was rocking back and forth, laughing at the unusual pressure in his breast - the feeling of his heart pumping blood straight out of his body - when he felt a new weight upon his chest. He opened his eyes and found his face barely a breath away from the beautiful Rangers. He curved his lips into a smile as he muttered crazily, "Come to me, satisfy that hunger…make me pay?

Sydney shook Nico, grabbing him by the shoulders as she snarled, "Who the hell is that man?"

Nico's head lolled from side to side, his beautiful eyes drifting toward darkness. "What man?"

Sydney cursed under her breath, breathing through her nose as she began applying pressure to the wound in Nico's chest, he couldn't leave her...not yet. "Don't mess with me, who is he?"

Nico focused on the torn sleeve of the lady Ranger, one side of his mouth twitching upward as he watched the blood congeal around the wound, "Huh?"

Sydney dipped her head down, narrowing Nico's focus so that he had no choice but to look her in the eyes. She could feel the flow of the blood slowing, knowing that the man beneath her had little time left on this planet as his heart pumped the last vestiges of blood out his wound. She smiled sweetly at him, cooing to him the way one might to a child, trying to breach his pre-death dementia, "Come on Nico, hold on buddy. All you have to do is tell me who played your Ninja. Once you tell me all the pain will go away. Can you do that for me? Can you tell me who is the ninja?"

Nico coughed, blood leaking from the side of his mouth as he answered the Ranger in a ragged whisper. His eyes closed as another fit of coughs shook him, tearing the soul out of his body as his heart slowed to stopping.

Sydney jumped off of the dead man and grabbed the gun, locking eyes with the camera once more as she addressed the men watching the recorded footage on a tiny screen, "Walker, I'm sorry. I neglected my duty and I know you're angry. You would want me to wait, but there isn't time. I'm going after Andre Diaz and I'm going to get Alex, or die trying."

Walker jerked away from the video camera, curling his fingers into a tight ball as he battled the urge to pummel somebody. He flicked his eyes to the deceased Nico and mentally pummeled his body, that bastard had set his wife up. Willingly or no, he'd set her up to be whisked off by some loon. Gage and Trivette stood behind their Captain, glancing at one another as Walker turned, fuming, "Trivette, call Dan and have him get us an address for Andre Diaz…and see if DPD still has that old coot in custody, I'm going to want to have another chat with that lying..."


End file.
